$22.48 million courthouse project gets OK
expansion/renovation approved by La Porte County Council

The La Porte County Council on Wednesday approved a $22.49 million project to renovate the courthouse in Michigan City. File photo

La PORTE – The La Porte County
Council – on a 4-2 vote Wednesday – approved a $22.49 million expansion
and renovation of the Michigan City Courthouse.

Plans for the project include a major expansion and complete renovation of the structure.

At a special meeting called to vote on the project, Councilmen Michael Rosenbaum and Jeff Santana opposed the project.

Rosenbaum explained his reasoning for opposing the project.

“I’m
concerned about the restriction of selling the property. I’m not sure
if that is in the best interest of the county," Rosenbaum said,
referring to the county offices on Eighth Street in Michigan City.

"I’m
new, I haven’t reviewed every piece of property. I have this feeling
where giving up property is one of the [last] things that I want to do,"
he said. "I would rather find a use for it, if there is one."

Part of the plan for the courthouse expansion is to move many of the 8th Street county offices into the expanded courthouse.

"Almost
all of the offices that are in there are going to have a home in the
new courthouse," Councilman Randy Novak said. "We’re expanding to
incorporate them."

The move would take place after the courthouse construction project was completed.

These
offices are currently in relative disrepair, but the county is planning
to put the 8th Street building up for sale after the migration to the
courthouse.

“It
wouldn’t be for another two years, when the project is done, that we
would be moving those people," Novak said. "Nothing is going to happen
real fast. It’s not going to go up for sale anytime soon.”

Other aspects of financing for the expansion were revealed during the meeting.

"We
hadn’t done that for a while, so we needed to put some more [money] in
there. Eight million dollars is going to be applied to the project so
that we don’t have to finance as much. It’s like putting a down payment
on a house.”